lsereno

Yeah, at over two years out, it's a constant vigil for me. I weigh every morning and what I see on the scale informs how I eat that day. The big difference for me? I am not ravenously hungry all day every day like I was pre-sleeve. I can eat a reasonable, healthy meal and be full. And I'm working from a healthy weight to maintain. I'm not trying to lose 100 lbs. with Weight Watchers. What's not different: Yes, I'd love to eat A LOT of the ice cream, cheetohs, buttered popcorn, chips and dip and many, many other foods that got me in this boat EVERY DAY. Do I? No, I'm not an abstainer, but I seriously limit treat foods and how often I have them. Lynda

You look so cute! Love the red sneakers. My trainer told me the best exercise for whittling the waist is simply conscioulsy sucking your tummy towards your backbone and holding it there for 60 seconds. Repeat throughout the day as you think of it. Lynda Lynda

It's not a treat day for me, so only junky snack I am having is some pretzels this evening. 8 a.m.:Soy Latte, 9 a.m.: 2 oz. 98% FF ham 10:30 a.m.:Sarah Lee Whole Grain mini-bagel w 1 wedge Laughing Cow Lite Cinnamon Cream Cheese, 1/3 bananna Lunch: 2 oz. chicken breast, 1/2 c. romaine, 1/4 mandarin oranges packed in Splenda, chopped green onion, 2 T. Newmans Own Lowfat Sesame Ginger (I nix 1 T. with the chicken and pour the other over the rest of the salad), 1 oz. Special K whole grain crackers Snack: 1 C. melon Dinner: 2 oz. water packed tuna mixed with 1 T. light mayo, 1 T. non-fat greek yogurt and 1/2 t. prepared horseradish on 1 slice WW bread with lettuce, tomato, and 1/4 small avocado (I use a big lettuce leaf instead of a top slice of bread) Snack: 3/4 C. fatfree greek yogurt and 1/3 cup blueberries with Splenda, 1 c. mini pretzels

Oh and I found some articles through Google news about carbs and addiction: How Carbs Can Trigger food Cravings http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/27/how-carbs-can-trigger-food-cravings/ Study: Are Carbs, Sugars Really Like Drugs To Your Brain? http://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2013/06/27/study-are-cheap-carbs-really-like-drugs-to-your-brain/ Lynda

I am nearly 60 and still eating whole grains and doing well with that. So maintenance with starches is possible. But I do limit how much. I have one serving at Breakfast, lunch, and dinner on most days. And often I have a snack of a lower calorie grain, such as pretzels or Special K crackers, or graham crackers. On treat days, I have white bread if is good or occasionally Pasta. But everyone is different. I do try to only eat sweets outside the house because like many others, once I go down that hole I want more and there isn't much restriction with those types of foods. And it really limits how often I have sweets because after we eat a meal out, I'm usually too full to order dessert. Lynda

I wouldn't worry. I've seen that a few times here over the years. At six weeks, you should have less swelling than that. I'm sorry you have to go back, but should be quick! Lynda

For those I don't care about, I stick with a very short: "My Doctor and I have decided this is the best option for my health". I don't address any other negative comments. If they keep up after this I move away if possible and if not, I say, "Let's talk about something else". For those that I do care about, I spend more time describing that WLS has the highest success rate for permanent weight reduction and that while every surgery carries risks, the risks of remaining obese are greater. Lynda

If you don't get an answer here, try joining the Yahoo Group for Kaiser Nor Cal Bariatric and ask there: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/gastric-bypass-support-kaiser-patients/ I don't have an answer for you. I went through Kaiser Fremont two years ago. After I got to surgery goal weight (loss of 10%), it took 6 weeks till surgery date. Lynda

Here's an interesting blog post from Gretchen Rubin about abstaining: http://www.happiness-project.com/happiness_project/2013/01/want-to-be-free-from-french-fries-or-why-abstaining-may-be-easier-than-you-think/ Shelly of World According to Eggface is an abstainer. She doesn't do Pasta, rice, bread or potatoes and here's her post about that: http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2009/06/fear-enemy.html As for me, I'm still trying for moderation. That means keeping some foods out of the house and only eating them when I'm out. And limiting other foods. For example, someone asked about pizza on another thread. For me, pizza wasn't a fav food and it's easy to limit it to a few times a year because hubby doesn't want it that often either. We'll see how that works as time goes by. If it doesn't work, I'll be trying something else! I'm terrified of the infamous post-three year gain. Lynda

Congrats Tink! Everyone else: I can never remember what the exact rules are supposed to be for the Vets forum. I just know at more than two years post-op, I qualify :-) LyndA

Congrats teeny weeny bikini girl! Lynda

I ate two slices of a large hand-tossed from pizza Hut, not the ends. That was a few months ago. I don't eat pizza often. I'm more than 2 years out. Lynda

PPI is Proton pump inhibitor, such as Omeprazole, that reduce stomach acid. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proton-pump_inhibitor

My plan allows them. If I take NSAID, I am to also take PPI. Lynda

I walk around a bit and swear I'm never eating X again or X so fast or so much X. Lynda

Hi Oregon, Have you considering trying the 5:2 diet? There's another thread here where several slow losers have kick-started their losses using it. Lynda

Greek yogurt has much less lactose than regular yogurt. I thin with Water if I want a runnier consistency and add my own fruit and flavorings to the nonfat plan Chobani or Fage. Lactose intolerance levels vary. Some people can't tolerate any, and some can tolerate a little. Early out I did well with moist chicken (the costco roast chickens are nice and moist) and low fat lunch meat. Lynda

For me it was health, but once I decided to have the operation, I chose my goal weight on looks. I'm sure I would be just as healthy at a higher BMI, but I like the way my current BMI looks on me. But I wouldn't have had such a drastic operation for looks. that's just me. I won't be having plastics to fix my saggy skin either. My skin is not bad enough to cause health issues and I'm just not up for the pain, expense and scarring. Part of that is hubby has always found me attractive and overall I'm confident in myself. And part is my age. Just how good do I have to look at nearly 60? I feel I look plenty good for my age. Lynda

I also developed lactose intolerance post-op. Not as harsh as some, I could tolerate unjury chicken Protein powder immediately. Unjury products are marketing as some of the easiest to tolerate. Within two weeks I could also tolerate GNC Gold Standard whey protein in French vanilla Creme and fat free Greek yogurt by Chobani or Fage. Within a month I could also eat hard cheeses when I was cleared for them. 've learned to like Soy Milk. I prefer 8th Contintent Plain because its fairly low calorie and high protein. I mixed my vanilla protein powder with soy milk or Starbucks instant decaf coffee and Water. I didn't try the lactaid pills and I did not like the lactaid milk. At two years out, I still haven't tried cottage cheese again (not high on my list of fav foods anyway). I can occasionally have ice cream, skim milk or soft cheeses, just not a lot and not often. Lynda

I take a little plastic bowl in my purse when I go to the movies. I pack another snack, such as cut up fruit or veggies in a baggie in the bowl. At the movies, I share a popcorn, filling the little bowl with the part I will eat. And I eat the snack I brought too. I know you are not supposed to bring food, but they don't sell fruit and veggies! Lynda

Check out the Bariatric Surgery Guidebook from Kaiser Fremont. If you don't have a plan from your Dr. I highly recommend it. I followed it without complications, got to goal in 9 months and have been at goal 15 months. Pay particular attention to post-op eating instructions in Chapter 3 and Vitamin recommendations in Chapter 7. Lynda

If Dr. says they are a no because of seeds, how about if you sieve them and then use the juice to flavor yogurt? Lynda

I still weigh every day, first thing in the morning. During the losing phase, I weighed every day but I only tracked my weight on Fridays. I did have days where I didn't lose and days where I went up a little, but every Friday, I weighed less than I had the Friday before. For me, it's crucial to weigh every morning. I don't beat myself up if I don't like what I see. I adjust what I eat that day based on the number I see that morning. Lynda

My fav was unjury chicken (didn't upset my stomach in the first few days) and GNC Gold Standard in French Vanilla Creme. Pre-op, I preferred chocolate, but couldn't stand it post-op. Lynda